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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

My Favorite Aussie Girl Stops By

They say to write what you know, and authors have made bundles off of doing that very thing. My idol, Stephen King (bow and scrape) writes about his hometowns in Maine almost reverently. And so does my friend Iris Blobel. This Aussie Girl, transplanted though she is, embraces her adopted home country in her newest book and I just had to have her here on the blog to tell everyone about it. Hey Iris!

Hi everyone – I’m grateful for Samantha’s invitation
to talk about my newest release “Innocent Tears”. The story is set here in
Australia, mainly in Melbourne – according to Wikipedia the city was the second
after Edinburgh
to be named a UNESCO
City of Literature. Perfect for my story where two worlds collide – Flynn,
business lawyer, and little Nadine, six years old and has just lost her mother.

This is one of my favourite scene

“Flynn? Flynn!”

He dipped his head and shook it regretfully. “Yes, Mum, I’m still here.”
He paused for a moment and then continued. ”Sarah’s parents came for a visit.”

The surprise was obvious by the moment of quiet. “Teresa and William?”
she asked in disbelief, her voice an octave higher than usual.

His hand was holding the bottle of beer next to him like his life
depended on it. “Mum, I’ve got a young daughter.”

Silence.

“Flynn, have you been drinking?”

“Mum, I’m serious as serious could be. Remember Sarah not wanting to
live in Melbourne, and then saying she had someone else in her life?”

He heard her sigh. “How can I forget? I don’t think I’d ever seen you so
upset and depressed.”

“Well…” He took a deep breath. “That someone was a baby. I’ve got a
little girl, Mum.”

More silence. His mouth curved into a grin when he heard his mother
whisper to his father, “Get me a stiff drink, Carl. We’ve just become
grandparents.”

She lifted her hand off the receiver and rattled out questions. “How old
is she? What’s her name?”

The grin disappeared and he rubbed his face. “Six, and Nadine,” he
murmured.

Jenny screamed into the phone. “Si-i-i-ix?”

Flynn almost dropped the bottle. “Good grief, Mum. Keep it down.”

He heard her sipping her drink – whatever it was. “How am I supposed to
keep it down? Flynn, why on earth… why the… Teresa and William… and where’s
Sarah–“

“Mum!”

Silence.

“Jenny Rose McCormack.”

She sighed. “Yes?”

“Ask Dad for a glass of water.”

“Oh my goodness gracious, Flynn.” He heard her holding her hand over the
phone. “Carl, he says I need a glass of water.”

Flynn shook his head. Carl wanted to talk to his son as well – of
course, because so far he was just serving her with drinks and listening to
outbursts of disbelief and questions. “Not now… in a minute… It’s my turn”

“Mum?”

“Your father is a bit of a pain here.”

“Mum?” he said more firmly.

“Yes?” she replied flustered.

“Saz died just after Christmas last year.”

Silence.

“Mum?”

“Flynn? It’s your dad here. What just happened? Your mother is pale as a
ghost.”

“Hi, Dad.” Flynn felt his stomach turning upside-down. This was more
like a comedy than him trying to tell his parents about his last forty-eight
hours. “Dad? I’m a Dad as well. Sarah died last Christmas. Teresa and William
have been in Melbourne, and in Teresa’s subtle and gentle way, she told me
about the young daughter I have. Nadine’s her name, and they want me to take
over custody and look after her.”

Silence.

“Son? That’s a lot to take in. How are you going?”

Flynn rubbed his temple with the heel of his hands. How he was going?
How was he going?

Thank you all for stopping by. I appreciate your time!

Blurb:

Becoming a parent can be daunting at the best of times, but for Flynn, a
business lawyer in Melbourne, it almost pulls the feet from right underneath
him. He’s become a father to six-year-old Nadine literally overnight! He had no
idea about her existence, and the news throws him into chaos, even more so when
he is asked to take over custody.
With the help of Emma, an employee at the hotel where Nadine and her
grandparents are staying, and his parents, Flynn tries to do the right thing.
Yet, the right thing in his eyes differs from his parents’, and Emma is voicing
her opinion as well. And right in the middle is little Nadine, still grieving
the loss of her mother and finding a wonderful friend in Emma. There’s no doubt
she’s afraid where and with whom she will settle.
But in the end, it’s a letter Flynn receives that helps him figuring out what
to do